Franz Josef Land 2026: Two DXpeditions Just Days Apart
Between August and September 2026, Franz Josef Land (R1FJ), one of the most challenging DXCC entities to activate, witnessed a rather unusual event: two significant DXpeditions just days apart, RI1FJL and RI1FJZ.
RI1FJL – Heiss Island
The first was RI1FJL, organized by the Russian DXpedition Team and led by R7AL. The destination was Heiss Island, home to the E.T. Krenkel polar station. The group departed from Murmansk on August 12 aboard the yacht Mariya, carrying over 800 kg of radios, amplifiers, antennas, equipment, and supplies.
The journey across the Barents Sea was very challenging. Rough seas, headwinds, and fog extended the passage to nearly ten days. The team reached Heiss Island on August 21 and immediately began unloading and setting up stations.
RI1FJL activated several posts with power amplifiers, Spiderbeam, and antennas dedicated to low bands. Activity covered almost all bands from 160 to 10 meters, primarily in CW, SSB, FT8, and FT4.
The pile-ups created were enormous, but working from the Arctic posed many problems. Propagation changed very rapidly due to geomagnetic activity, while the internet connection was slow and unreliable. As a result, online log updates were often delayed. Complicating everything were the cold, wind, and far from easy living conditions.
On September 5, a severe snowstorm and wind began to damage the antennas.
The group decided to end the expedition. RI1FJL went QRT at 11 UTC on September 5, after completing about 160,000 QSOs.
But while the group was returning to Murmansk, another yacht was preparing to reach Franz Josef Land.
Why Two Expeditions Almost Simultaneously?
The coincidence was not entirely accidental.
According to the report published by R7AL, RA1ZZ was initially part of the RI1FJL project.
During the preparation, there were organizational disagreements. RA1ZZ left the group and formed his own team.
From this separation, RI1FJZ was born.
RI1FJZ – Alexandra Land
The second expedition chose Alexandra Land, another island in the archipelago. The RI1FJZ group, with RA1ZZ and R9LR, reached Franz Josef Land aboard the yacht Apostol Andrey.
The arrival occurred around September 13, but a storm and restrictions imposed by authorities delayed the landing. The first signals from RI1FJZ began to appear around September 15. This too was an important expedition, with numerous stations, amplifiers, and antennas to work from 160 to 10 meters, in FT8, CW, and SSB.
RI1FJZ also had a more experimental program, with VHF, EME, and satellite activities, including QO-100. In addition to the weather and poor internet connection, operators had to contend with polar bears, which limited movements outside and therefore work on the antennas. Despite this, on September 21, six HF stations were simultaneously operational.
On September 24, dismantling began, and the next day, RI1FJZ left Alexandra Land. In just over a month, Franz Josef Land was activated twice:
RI1FJL from Heiss Island, with about 160,000 QSOs,Â
and immediately after RI1FJZ from Alexandra Land.
